Minister for Education Mary Hanafin was accused by Fine Gael spokesman Brian Hayes of promoting segregated education.
"Is the Minister seriously suggesting to the House that she takes no responsibility for what has become, in effect, a segregated model of education in north Co Dublin due to the failure of her department over a long period to put in place additional education facilities?"
He asked if Ms Hanafin agreed that the department was not fit for purpose in terms of the provision of additional educational facilities in growing new suburbs.
"Will she confirm that in 1999, when one of the schools concerned, St Mologa's national school in Balbriggan, applied for a major extension of its facilities, the department lost the application and then refused to approve it, despite the fact that children from a variety of ethnic backgrounds were available to fill the places the works would have delivered?"
Ms Hanafin said up to 15,000 more children were attending school than was the case at this time last year.
"A great deal of work was done to accommodate each of these additional children, and only 50 children were left without a place.
"While phenomenal progress was made in ensuring places were made available, it can be difficult to achieve complete accuracy in this regard owing to the movement of people into and within the country.
"It was a major achievement to have been within 50 places of the required number."
She added that the provision of places for junior infants in schools in Balbriggan had doubled since 2002.
"While it is not desirable that a school would only have children from an ethnic background, the position is reflective of the area and the new communities which have been established in Balbriggan."
She said anyone living in Balbriggan would agree that, based on the people moving into the town's estates, the school in question, which was more mixed than initially thought, was a reflection of the new town.
"The provision of school places and ensuring integration continue to be the department's priorities."
Mr Hayes suggested that the Minister should consider establishing a national forum on education to address the patronage, management and ownership of schools.
"Given that more than 90 per cent of all schools are owned or controlled by the Catholic Church, does the Minister agree it would be more sensible to establish such a forum to allow the education partners to engage in a public discussion of all the relevant issues?"
Mr Hayes said he welcomed the statement by the Catholic bishops regarding the church's ambition to divest itself of some schools in areas in which it controls a large number of schools.
"Nevertheless, we need a much more thorough and public discussion of the issues, as opposed to a secretive, bilateral discussion between the department on the one hand and the various education partners on the other."
Denying there was anything secretive about the manner in which her department worked, Ms Hanafin said all new schools being approved were the subject of a public consultation process.
